The FEDS Pact

Chapter Four

With the extra pair of hands, Jordan’s additional supplies and last but certainly not the least my accomplice’s grand intellectual ability we didn’t come across a great deal of trouble. This I have to state came as quite a pleasant surprise to a folk of my standing. Even though my condition still wasn’t exactly “stable” yet and Jordan struggled at adapting to the elements and life on the road, working together, united we found ourselves in the mighty city of Bourges by the following morn. I’d travelled very little in my life so obviously a city of this size and scale was a grand sight to me. Yes I’d been raised in London but it’d been a long time since I’d left, so it still seemed one mighty metropolis to me where no innocent soul could bare to stop for just a moment, take a breath and stare in awe at the place. Jordan unfairly ushered me on briskly through the suburbs, the sight of a city was nothing new to him and I could tell he felt somewhat unsettled to be in such a poor, rough district. So much to my distress I pressed on as he’d asked without complaint.  

“So any bright ideas from here?” Jordan asked, with a lack of hope thick in his tone. We were walking the length of what must’ve been approaching the hundredth, equally damp and shadowed alleyway as the conversation broke out. “Well you know the plan just as well as I do, we find a passage to the coast as quickly as possible. Quick is vital, with us being wanted and all” I pointed out in a hushed tone as we pressed ever deeper into the heart of the city. “The plan seems grand and all but, money? We have none” Jordan stated cynically, tapping the back of my head as if my brains were somewhat faulty, which I’m not gonna lie annoyed me. I was a darn good thinker, being poor didn’t mean I were some stupid ass although…. admittedly the issue of plunder had only just occurred to me. With my upbringing I were hardly surprised I’d overlooked it. My father stole anything and everything he fancied even stole my Ma technically speaking, but like I said at the start that’s a story for some other day. 

 Anyways by this point, to my great relief we’d swung out of the maze of alleys finding ourselves situated on a high street. With all the markets, traders, men, women and children alike it was without a doubt the vastest expanse of mankind I’d seen in the second half of my lifetime. The addition of the buildings at either side, seemingly towering into the sky didn’t fail to make the sight in front of me ever more impressive. And that’s where I saw it. The piece of paper nailed firmly to the exterior wall of what appeared to be an inn. It sure were lucky it caught my eye because I have to emphasise it’s quite the pivotal point in this tale, the bold heading of “REWARD” being what had drawn my attention in the first instance.  

The reward was a hearty sum of ₣80,000, enough to get us out of here and then some. It advertised a runaway slave by the name of Jaden Campbell which was accompanied by a rough sketch of the fellow. This isn’t to say the sketch was any good, the harshest of critics would even have described it as useless in my books. The thing is the picture could be mistaken for any slave really. But if we could find this slave and identify him, if only, we’d be rich and safe and well yes mighty rich.    

“What would you say if I were to say maybe the money’s staring at us right in the face?” I asked standing motionless now my full attention paid to the closer examination of the poster and not on Jordan of whom I was speaking to. “Huck? What are you…. Holy Christ is that what I think it is?! ₣80,000! For a slave?!” Jordan chucked in such disbelief I thought his widening eyes would pop out of their sockets whilst he gave me a crushing hug. “Yeah sure looks like God’s shining down on us, just let me breathe a bit though mate I certainly ain’t ready to meet the old guy yet” I chocked, letting out a symphony of coughs to emphasise my point. Jordan’s grasp on me loosened, just a little and then he turned to face me. With his sweat glazed brow and remarkably curious pale-green eyes that seemed in my mind at least to hide many secrets. His facial expression had quickly changed to one of sincerity but was one of determination all the same. Then he spoke: